Time and Regret by MK Tod

(historical mystery) Release date: August 16, 2016 on Amazon ISBN: 978-1503938403 366 pages Author's page | Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his past and to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfather's puzzle, Grace follows his diary entries across towns and battle sites in northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French man and suddenly aware that someone is following her. Through her grandfather's vivid writing and Grace's own travels, a picture emerges of a man very unlike the one who raised her: one who watched countless friends and loved ones die horrifically in battle; one who lived a life of regret. But her grandfather wasn't the only one harboring secrets, and the more Grace learns about her family, the less she thinks she can trust them.

MY REVIEW

Grace and her Grandfather shared a close relationship, close enough for him to set her a puzzle and know that one day she would work out his secret and help to put right what he couldn’t. With his war diaries and cryptic clues Grace heads to France, alone, hoping following in his footsteps will make solving the mystery easier. Visiting the memorials, cemeteries and museums that are in abundance in northern France, Grace meets Pierre, a welcome friendly face, as she soon realises she is being followed. Just what is in her Grandfather’s diaries to cause such interest?

This book is partly set in the 1990’s following Grace as she tries to work out the clues she knows her Grandfather has left for her, part narrative of his time spent fighting in the First World War and part extracts of his harrowing war diaries, all cleverly woven together. We get a firsthand account of everything life in the trenches threw at the soldiers including the discomfort and dirt, death and depression, friendship and camaraderie. Young Martin Devlin is often angry and very different to the loving Grandfather Grace remembers. There are plenty of twists and turns and every time Grace gets closer to solving a clue, something or someone crops up and the mystery deepens, leaving me wondering who can she trust. The further into the book I got, the more difficult it was to put it down.

This is the third historic novel I have enjoyed from MK Tod, but the added sense of mystery in this novel has made it my favourite.

Read my review of Unravelled here.

Read my review of Lies Told in Silence here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Time and Regret is M.K. Tod's third novel. She began writing in 2005 while living as an expat in Hong Kong. What started as an interest in her grandparents' lives turned into a full-time occupation writing historical fiction. Her novel Unravelled was awarded Indie Editor's Choice by the Historical Novel Society. In addition to writing historical novels, she blogs about reading and writing historical fiction at http://www.awriterofhistory.com, reviews books for the Historical Novel Society and the Washington Independent Review of Books, and has conducted three highly respected reader surveys. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and is the mother of two adult children. Please visit her website and her blog A Writer of History Subscribe to her mailing list or contact her at mktod [at] bell [dot] net Follow her on Facebook and Twitter on Goodreads and Pinterest Buy the book (print, ebook audiobook): Amazon

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